Poetry: August 11, 2021 Issue [#10924]
<< August 4, 2021Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueAugust 18, 2021 >>




 This week: Stevie Smith
  Edited by: Stormy Lady Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

This is poetry from the minds and the hearts of poets on Writing.Com. The poems I am going to be exposing throughout this newsletter are ones that I have found to be, very visual, mood setting and uniquely done. Stormy Lady Author Icon


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

My Heart Goes Out
by Stevie Smith

My heart goes out to my Creator in love
Who gave me Death, as end and remedy.
All living creatures come to quiet Death
For him to eat up their activity
And give them nothing, which is what they want although
When they are living they do not think so.

My Heart Was Full
by Stevie Smith

My heart was full of softening showers,
I used to swing like this for hours,
I did not care for war or death,
I was glad to draw my breath.


On September 20,1902 in Hull England, Ethel and Charles Smith, welcomed Florence Marget Smith into the world. Florence was theSmith's second daughter. Ethel and Charles's marriage fell apart while she was still a young child. Smith's father eventually left the family. Her mother moved them from Hull England to Palmers Green. When Smith was young she developed tuberculous peritonitis and was sent to a sanatorium in Kent for several years. After returning home, Smith's mother became ill and aunt moved into their home to help raise her and her sister.

Smith attended Palmers Green High School. Her mother passed away while she was still a teenager and the girls stayed with their aunt. After Smith finished high school she attended North London Collegiate School for Girls. Upon graduating Smith started working as a secretary with the magazine publisher George Newsnes. From there she became the private secretary to Sir Nevill Pearson and Sir Frank Newsnes. Smith started writing poetry after college, she wrote under the name Stevie Smith, a nickname she got while she was younger. Her first book was, Novel on Yellow Paper, published in 1936. Her first collection of verse, A Good Time Was Had By All, was published in 1937. This book also contained several rough drawings and doodles. Her drawings and her poetry had both a feeling of whimsy and doom. Written in a nursery rhyme structure, yet conveying serious themes. Death seemed to be her most popular subject to write about, perhaps because of her time in the sanatorium and the loss of her mother at sixteen.

Smith suffered from spats of depression throughout most of her adult life. After she suffered a nervous breakdown, she left her job as a secretary. She went on to do poetry readings and broadcasts for the BBC. Smith never moved away from Palmers Green. She never married and spent her life living with her aunt. Smith received the Chomondeley Award for Poetry in 1966. She also was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1969. Stevie Smith died of a brain tumor March 7, 1971. Her last collection, Scorpion and other Poems was published posthumously in 1972, and the Collected Poems followed in 1975.


Alone In The Woods
by Stevie Smith

Alone in the woods I felt
The bitter hostility of the sky and the trees
Nature has taught her creatures to hate
Man that fusses and fumes
Unquiet man
As the sap rises in the trees
As the sap paints the trees a violent green
So rises the wrath of Nature's creatures
At man
So paints the face of Nature a violent green.
Nature is sick at man
Sick at his fuss and fume
Sick at his agonies
Sick at his gaudy mind
That drives his body
Ever more quickly
More and more
In the wrong direction.


Thank you all!
Stormy Lady Author Icon

A logo for Poetry Newsletter Editors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Editor's Picks


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winner of "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] is:

 The Cost of Greed Open in new Window. (13+)
A poem about a greedy queen, her knight, a dragon, and a magical sword
#2255639 by LeJenD' Author IconMail Icon


The Silver Queen sits atop her throne,
her dark knight kneels nearby
witnesses to the blood-soaked curse
and party to the crime.

With stealth and cunning the knight made way
into the midst of the dragon's hoard
and risked enflaming the dragon's ire
to steal away with it's magic sword.

The dragon indeed sensed this slight
and brought hell-fire upon the land
peasant and soldier, all, died in vain
while following the queen's command.

The dragon reclaimed his enchanted sword
and returned it to his legendary ​cave
then exacted revenge throughout the realm
​in search of the perfidious knave.

Now the queen rules over ashes and char
nary a subject nor house remains
just a queen and her misguided knight.
Such immense cost for nothing gained.



Honorable mention:
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2254864 by Not Available.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


These are the rules:

1) You must use the words I give in a poem or prose with no limits on length.

2) The words can be in any order and anywhere throughout the poem and can be any form of the word.

3) All entries must be posted in your portfolio and you must post the link in this forum, "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contestOpen in new Window. [ASR] by September 4, 2021.

4) The winner will get 3000 gift points and the poem will be displayed in this section of the newsletter the next time it is my turn to post (September 8, 2021)

The words are:


festival red apples blanket leaves gold yellow friends


*Delight* Good luck to all *Delight*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image Protector
STATIC
The Calico Cat Cafe Open in new Window. (E)
Cats at a Cat Cafe
#2255986 by Princess Megan Snow Rose Author IconMail Icon

 
Image Protector
STATIC
Confessions of a Coffee Convict Open in new Window. (E)
Life support in a small brown bean. A Poetic Traditions Entry (Form: Sestet)
#2256156 by 🌖 HuntersMoon Author IconMail Icon

 I am old Open in new Window. (13+)
There's no other explanation
#2255932 by THANKFUL SONALI RIP BIKERIDER Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Image Protector
STATIC
Blue Light Open in new Window. (E)
Magic seeps into the air
#2251535 by Roari ∞ Author IconMail Icon

 
Image Protector
STATIC
Living by the Hourglass Open in new Window. (13+)
The real picture of addiction is not easy to read about.
#2255393 by Redtowrite Author IconMail Icon

 
Image Protector
STATIC
AFTER ALL Open in new Window. (ASR)
An acrostic with not a word of truth
#2255827 by Monty Author IconMail Icon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Fireflies Open in new Window. (E)
Haiku, for a contest.
#2255707 by Ravenwand, Rising Star! Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2255806 by Not Available.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2255868 by Not Available.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B085272J6B
Product Type: Kindle Store
Amazon's Price: $ 9.99


Ask & Answer


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B07NPKP5BF
Product Type: Toys & Games
Amazon's Price: Price N/A

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


<< August 4, 2021Poetry Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueAugust 18, 2021 >>

This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright.